Many truck drivers have fallen victim to what is almost universally regarded as “the notorious DAC Report”. Notorious because the driver is really at the mercy of the trucking company as to what is entered into his or her DAC Report.

For the professional CDL driver your DAC Report can be as important to your career and your financial future as your personal consumer credit report.

It’s always a good idea to get a copy of your DAC Report when you are planning on looking for new employment so you know in advance if there are any problems you need to address.

So, what does DAC stand for?

In the trucking industry, DAC stands for Drive-A-Check. OK, but exactly what is the DAC Report and why is it so important? Good question and you should know what it is all about as it contains:

your social security number and your D/L number

if you applied for worker’s compensation

information about any criminal reports

a detailed summary of your work history

reasons for leaving the job

information about accidents

information about the type of truck and trailer you operated

information about the type of driving you did for an employer

whether or not you are eligible for rehire

Many Trucking Companies RelyHeavily On The DAC Report

All too often the information contained in a driver’s DAC report prohibits a driver from being rehired by the same company, or being hired by another company. When considering a driver for employment, many companies place a very high value on the driver’s DAC report.

Many smaller trucking companies, however, do not rely on a driver’s DAC report, but rather on other information coupled with a personal interview, either by phone or in person.

Even though the governing agency of DAC Reports is regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, it is widely known by drivers that trucking companies abuse this tool by reporting unfair and unjust information about their drivers, which can end up ruining a trucker’s career. Once an item has been placed on a DAC Report, it almost takes an Act of Congress to have it removed. In fact, as many drivers have learned, it is nearly impossible. Unfair? Yes. Unjust? Absolutely.

Many truckers have turned to Trucking Employment Law attorneys for assistance and have been successful in getting their DAC Report (and other issues) turned around. One such attorney is Paul Taylor of Truckers Justice Center.

Subject to the FACT Act file disclosure, a driver is entitled to receive a free copy of their DAC Report once every (12) months. You can receive additional copies, but at a cost of $9.50 (or more) each.

To receive a copy of your DAC Report, you must do so through a written request, and include a copy of your Social Security card and Driver’s License. It normally takes 10 days to two weeks to receive the report. If your report does contain fraudulent information, you must follow the instructions for dispute resolution.

Also, keep in mind that if the information is accurate, and you are successful in having the item(s) removed from your DAC Report, you are still required to report the information to potential employers.

The DAC Report will normally keep the information on the report for 10 years. After seven years, items such as accidents, rehire eligibility and work history will be removed. Also, if the company closes down, these items are supposed to be removed automatically.

Filing A DAC Report Dispute Online

Contacting the trucking company and requesting that the items be removed through normal procedures usually will not work. This type of request is typically ignored by the trucking company.

As we’ve previously stated, it is nearly impossible to get items removed from your DAC Report, but it can be done by going through the proper channels.

And if all else fails, you can contact a transportation attorney and have them handle the situation, but be aware that this can be very costly.

In “How To File A DAC Report Dispute Online” contact information is provided about how and where you can dispute something on your DAC report online.

The best way to keep your DAC Report clean is to:

ALWAYS leave a company on good terms

ALWAYS give at least two weeks notice

ALWAYS return equipment to the right place, clean and in good order

NEVER, NEVER assume it’s okay to just call the company and let them know where you are dropping the equipment off – they may place an “abandonment of equipment” on your DAC Report and this would probably stand int the way of getting another job with another trucking company.

By operating at a professional level, and giving the company NO EXCUSES for improper reporting, your DAC Report will remain healthy and won’t come back to haunt you.

Some of the information in this article was taken from The DAC Report by Allen Smith of AskTheTrucker.com.